Teacher Preparation

Budget Bill Touches on ‘Highly Qualified’ Issue

By Alyson Klein — September 25, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

School districts have some funding information to go on for the next six months, thanks to a bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 13 and is expected to gain approval in the Senate.

The continuing resolution on the budget also allows teachers participating in alternative-certification programs to be considered “highly qualified” through the 2013-14 school year.

The move is part of the House bill that extends funding for almost every federal agency until March 27, 2013.

Under the still-not-reauthorized No Child Left Behind Act, teachers are supposed to have a degree in the subject they’re teaching, plus state certification. But it was unclear as to whether teachers currently in alternative-route programs should count.

In writing regulations for the NCLB law, the Bush administration, in essence, allowed teachers in a recognized alternative-route program to be considered highly qualified.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, however, ruled against the regulation. So, in 2010, Congress—with NCLB re-authorization in the wings—put language into an unrelated spending bill allowing teachers in alternative-certification to be considered highly qualified until the end of this school year.

In a deal worked out between the House and Senate this summer, the provision was extended for one year. The bill calls for the Education Department to report on just how many disadvantaged students, English-language learners, students in special education, and rural students, are served by teachers considered highly qualified because they are participating in an alternative-certification programs.

“I’m pleased,” said Lindsay Jones, the senior director of policy and advocacy at the Council for Exceptional Children, in Arlington, Va. which advocates for students in special education and gifted children. “This is a data point that’s missing,”

For their part, alternative-certification programs are happy with the extension.

Such programs “are an effective source of teachers, and many of these educators spend their careers working to ensure all kids have access to an excellent education,” said Carrie James Rankin, a spokeswoman for Teach for America, in an email.

A version of this article appeared in the September 26, 2012 edition of Education Week as Teacher-Route Issue Part of Budget Bill

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by Boys Town
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teacher Preparation Opinion Ed. Schools Face a Choice: Reform or Fade Away
If schools of education are to be revitalized, it will likely be red states leading the way, an education professor argues.
Robert Maranto
5 min read
Illustration of a college campus fading away.
Education Week + iStock
Teacher Preparation Democrats and Republicans Agree Teacher Prep Needs to Change. But How?
Teacher-prep programs "have been designed essentially to mass-produce identical educators," a dean said at a congressional hearing.
7 min read
A 1st grade teacher at Capital City Public Charter School leads a lesson about bee colonies with her students.
A 1st grade teacher at Capital City Public Charter School leads a lesson about bee colonies with her students. At Sept. 25 congressional hearing focused on the quality of the nation's teacher-preparation programs.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teacher Preparation Teachers' Unions Are Starting Teacher-Prep Programs. Here's What to Know
The Washington Education Association is pioneering a teacher residency for special education. Other unions are noticing.
10 min read
Patrice Madrid, left, leads a Functional Core Program for 3rd through 5th graders as part of a teacher residency program under the guidance of staff teacher Shannon Winthrow, right, at Star Lake Elementary in Kent, Wash., on May 7, 2024.
Patrice Madrid, left, leads a special education classroom for 3rd through 5th graders as part of the Washington Education Association's teacher residency program under the guidance of staff teacher Shannon Withrow, right, at Star Lake Elementary in Kent, Wash., on May 7, 2024.
Meron Menghistab for Education Week
Teacher Preparation These Preparation Programs Are Creating a 'Tutor to Teacher' Pipeline
A new pipeline offering an authentic glimpse of the profession is growing, despite patchy financial cover.
8 min read
Photograph of an adult Black woman helping a female student with an assignment.
iStock/Getty